The Becker High School senior enjoys bowhunting for deer, going pheasant hunting in South Dakota and has shot two antelope while rifle hunting on family trips to Wyoming.

A picture of her with the first antelope she shot — during the fall of her junior year — even made the pages of Eastmans' Hunting Journal.

And while on the surface, there wouldn't appear to be a lot connecting that passion with Cieslak's other love, softball, she said the two do share common traits.

"Patience would be No. 1," Cieslak said. "Whether you're a batter waiting for the right pitch or a hunter sitting in a tree for eight hours waiting for a deer to pass by, you have to be patient.

"And you have to be able to bounce back when things don't work out. Every hunt doesn't always end up in success, just like you're not always going to get a hit every time you come to the plate. But you have to be able to get back out there again the next time. And hopefully things will work out."

Things certainly worked out more often than not for Cieslak this season. The second baseman batted .438 with 17 doubles, six home runs, 33 RBI and 41 runs scored while leading the Bulldogs to the Section 8-3A title and the school's first berth in the state tournament since 2009.

For her efforts, she has been named the 2014 Times' All-Area softball Player of the Year.

"She really got on a roll this year," said Becker coach Jason Baune, whose team finished 21-4. "She always had the ability. But this year, she really took off.

"She was our lead-off hitter and provided us with a real leader at the top of the order. In the majority of our games, she was able to get on base and score in the first inning. That put us on top right away and it made a big impact in a lot of our wins."

The All-Area team is chosen by the Times' staff based on nominations provided by coaches.

This marks the fifth time in the past seven years that the award has gone to a Becker player and it caps a season in which the Bulldogs finally broke through to the state tournament after falling in the section finals the past two seasons.

"That's been our main goal the past three years — making it to the state tournament," said Cieslak, a three-time all-conference pick. "So to finally do it this year was definitely the highlight of my high school career."

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Becker's Allison Cieslak is the 2014 Times All-Area softball player of the year.(Photo: Dave Schwarz, dschwarz@stcloudtimes.com)

Cieslak credits some of her success to playing on a summer team based out of Elk River. The squad, for which Cieslak has played the past three years, is made up mainly of players from the Elk River and Anoka areas.

"That's been a great group of girls to play with," Cieslak said. "It's been nice to play some different positions and get to play with girls from other towns that I hadn't played with before. I've really gained a lot from that experience."

Cieslak had to assume a greater leadership role this spring with 2013 Times' All-Area Player of the Year Kadee Vesledahl limited only to hitting after undergoing surgery on her right throwing shoulder last September.

She said it was a task with which she was quite comfortable.

"With Kadee not able to be out in the field with us, it was pretty clear that myself and the other seniors really had to step up example-wise," Cieslak said. "But I've always been kind of a vocal leader. So that was really nothing new for me."

Cieslak is headed to North Dakota State in the fall. But she will focus on school in Fargo and does not plan to play college softball, despite drawing recruiting interest at the Division II and III level.

Which meant this spring was the final season of her playing career. So she said it was nice to be able to end on a high note.

"We all worked together really well as a team," Cieslak said. "We all knew each other's strengths. As seniors, we had a little edge to our play because it was our last year and we really wanted to get to the state tournament.

"And I think that rubbed off on some of the younger players too. We all had one destination in mind and we were able to get there."

All-Area Softball | Player Profiles

Maria Bastin, St. Cloud Cathedral, sr.

Helped lead Crusaders to berth in Section 6-2A finals ... went 18-8 as a pitcher with a 2.89 ERA and 167 strikeouts despite battling a shoulder injury ... also batted .327 ... will attend the University of Mary.

Natalie Bernard, Milaca, sr.

Starting catcher for the Wolves, who finished second to Becker in the Granite Ridge Conference ... batted .554 with five doubles, five triples and five home runs ... had 27 RBI ... a four-year starter and a three-time All-Granite Ridge Conference pick .... will play at two-year Williston State (N.D.).

Samantha Boettcher, St. Cloud Tech, jr.

A two-year starter ... played primarily at third base ... batted .444 with nine doubles and seven triples ... scored 22 runs and had 14 RBI ... made just four errors in the field all season.

Allison Cieslak, Becker, sr.

Times' All-Area player of the year ... played primarily at second base ... senior captain helped lead Becker to the Section 8-3A title and a berth in the Class 3A state tournament — the Bulldogs' first trip to state since 2008 ... batted .438 with 17 doubles, six home runs and six stolen bases ... scored 41 runs and had 33 RBI ... a three-time all-conference pick ... will attend North Dakota State next fall.

Samantha Eisenreich, St. Cloud Tech, jr.

A two-year starter who played primarily at shortstop ... batted .573 with 11 doubles, four triples and three home runs ... scored 22 runs and had 25 RBI while committing just five errors ... an All-Central Lakes Conference pick who has received her team's Golden Glove award — voted on by her teammates — the past two seasons.

Hannah Johnson, Milaca, jr.

Had a record of 11-6 as a pitcher with a 1.32 ERA and 153 strikeouts ... walked just 22 batters in 111.1 innings pitched ... batted .327 with six doubles and 12 RBI ...her 73 strikeouts as a sophomore gives her 226 in her past 25 games.

Kassidy Klaphake, Rocori, sr.

Team captain and three-year starter ... finished 10-8 as a pitcher with a 2.26 ERA and 128 strikeouts ... walked just 18 batters in 111.2 innings of work ... also batted .400 with three home runs and 15 RBI ... will participate in state all-star series ... a three-time All-Central Lakes Conference pick ... will play softball at Division II Montevallo (Ala.) next season.

Maddison Libbesmeier, Kimball, so.

Played center field and batted .560 with 37 hits for the Cubs in just her second season as a varsity player ... stole 15 bases and led her team with seven doubles ... also pitched and struck out 33 batters on the mound ... an All-Central Minnesota Conference pick.

Samantha Lorette, Becker, jr.

A two-year starting catcher who has earned All-Granite Ridge Conference honors both seasons .... batted .432 with three doubles and two triples ... scored 15 runs and had 15 RBI ... allowed just one stolen base the entire season.

Jacquline Nichols, Royalton, sr.

A four-year starter who played primarily at shortstop .... batted a single-season school record .623 with 11 doubles, three home runs and 11 stolen bases ... also had 29 RBI ... boasted an .849 fielding percentage ... a Class A All-State first-team pick ... Prairie Conference MVP .... 2013-14 Royalton High School Athlete of the Year ... will play at Augsburg next season ... holds career school records for home runs (10), doubles (53), hits (114), runs scored (87), RBI (.523) and batting average (.523).

Jamie Scherer, Eden Valley-Watkins, sr.

Went 14-4 as a pitcher ... also batted .446 with four doubles, one triple and one home run ... scored 21 runs and had 13 RBI ... will participate in the state all-star series ... a Class A all-state first team pick and her team's MVP ... helped lead Eagles to Class A state tournament as a junior ... will play at St. Benedict next season.

Mariah Sperl, St. Cloud Cathedral, sr.

Saw action primarily at first base ... batted .473 with 26 runs scored and 23 RBI ... headed to St. Benedict where she will likely play soccer this fall.